Shut-off valve

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a shut-off valve of limiting flow to a single direction, and a shut-off valve of removing air from the sack and charging the sack with air as well. The shutoff valve has an air passage of a flat and substantially cylindrical form in cross section, which is formed by opposed cladding sheets. The cladding sheet is provided with a valve body sheet which comprises a fixed part attached to the cladding sheet and flap portions with the fixed part placed in the central position therebetween, which flap portions are movable in a vertical direction. One flap portion serves to prevent air from flowing in one direction within the air passage by the close contact with cladding sheet, while the other flap portion serves to prevent air from flowing in the other direction by the close contact with the cladding sheet. Said shut-off valve may perform a double function of removing air from the sack and charging the sack with air accordingly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a shut-off valve for use in the compression sack.

[0002] The compression sacks provided with a shut-off valve have had a continuous existence so far in order to pack together clothing or bedding to be contained into a compact mass.

[0003] A brief description will be made of the use of a compression sack of this type. First, clothing is put into the compression sack, then the zipper provided on the access port for contents is done up, and the compression sack is pressed by hand or a vacuum cleaner connected with the shut-off valve by the nozzle thereof is actuated to suck up air inside the sack to an extent that the air occurring within the compression sack may be discharged from the shut-off valve outward. Since said shut-off valve may function to limit airflow to a single or outward direction, air may be prevented from entering into the compression sack again, thus resulting in an extremely low air pressure being maintained.

[0004] Stored goods containing air such as clothing or bedding, when in the compression sack, can be decreased in volume by removing air within the sack concurrently with the air within the contents. Therefore, packaging can be achieved more compact by such decreased volume.

[0005] There are various shapes of shut-off valves.

[0006] A shut-off valve can be exemplified that has a flat cylindrical body made of flexible synthetic resin film and provided with an opening, the cylindrical body including a bent passage which has been formed as by hot-pressing part of said film.

[0007] If this shut-off valve is mounted on the compression sack for maintaining a low air pressure within the compression sack, the compression sack is in such a state that air can be easily introduced into the shut-off valve during deaeration, but crushed flat as it remains, the passage does not allow the entry of air which is to flow from outside into the sack. This may maintain a low air pressure within the compression sack.

[0008] However, though said shut-off valve is of a simple structure, the passage itself is not in so a closed state that the introduction of air from the outside can not be avoided completely, thus air may enter into the sack gradually with the lapse of time.

[0009] The task of the present invention is to provide a shut-off valve having a simple structure and a function to prevent the entry of air in an effective manner, which shut-off valve is capable of not only removing air from the sack but also charging the sack with air.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] For solving said task, a first invention of the present application provides a shut-off valve, in which an air passage 41 of a flat and substantially cylindrical shape in cross section is formed by closing both sides of opposed cladding sheets 43 a, 43 b by means of closing members 43 e, 43 f, and the air passage 41 has openings 43 c, 43 g at the both end side, and has a valve body sheet 42 inside thereof, characterized in that the valve body sheet 42 comprises a fixed member 42 a secured to said cladding sheet 43 b, a first flap member 42 b, and a second flap member 42 c with the fixed member 42 a disposed in the central position therebetween, both the flap members are movable centering around the fixed member 42 a, said first flap member 42 b may serve to prevent air from flowing from one end to the other end in said air passage 41 by the close contact between the first flap member 42 b and the surface 43 i of the other cladding sheet 43 a at the air passage side, and the second flap member 42 c may serve to prevent air from flowing from the other end to one end in the air passage 41 by the close contact with the second flap member 42 c and the surface 43 i of the other cladding sheet 43 a at the air passage side.

[0011] Thus can be provided a shut-off valve, which may perform a double function of removing air from the sack and charging the sack with air.

[0012] A second invention of the present application provides the shut-off valve as defined in the first invention, characterized in that of the opposed cladding sheets 43 a, 43 b, the cladding sheet 43 a may also serve as a sheet 11 of which a sealable sack may be made.

[0013] This makes it possible to produce a shut-off valve formed integral with a sack, so that use of redundant materials can be avoided, and production costs may be cut.

[0014] A third invention of the present application provides a shut-off valve characterized in that an air passage 41 of a flat and substantially cylindrical shape in cross section is formed by openings 43 c, 43 g disposed at both ends orienting in one axial direction and along at least one of the opposed cladding sheets 43 a, 43 b and the closing members 43 e, 43 f crossing at right angles to said one axial direction and disposed at both ends orienting in the other axial direction and along at least one of said cladding sheets, a valve body sheet 42 is secured to the surface 43 h of one cladding sheet 43 b at the air passage side, which surface being located midway in the air passage 41, to extend along the cladding sheet 43 b from one closing member 43 e to the other closing member 43 f, which is the origin of a first and second check valves, the first check valve serving to prevent air from flowing from one end to the other end in the air passage 41 by the close contact between a part of the valve body sheet 42 and the surface 43 i of the cladding sheet 43 a at the air passage side, and the second check valve serving to prevent air from flowing from the other end to one end by said similar process, and a rod-like member 5 is inserted into the air passage 41 in a manner that openings 43 c, 43 g at either end of the air passage 41 may associate with each other by the presence of said rod-like member 5, whereby the close contact between a part of the valve body sheet 42 and the surface 43 i of the cladding sheet 43 a at the air passage side will be so severed as to allow air to run through the air passage 41, and the air passage 41 will be intercepted again by pulling out the rod-like member 5.

[0015] Thus can be provided a shut-off valve, which may perform a double function of removing air from the sack and charging the sack with air, and wherein operating modes can be switched as from one mode of allowing the passage of air to the other mode of preventing the introduction of air.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a compression sack provided with a shut-off valve in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 2(A) is a cross sectional view of a zipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, on which two opposed pieces are in an opened positioned, FIG. 2(B) a cross sectional view of the zipper in the embodiment of the present invention, on which the two opposed pieces are in an closed position, and FIG. 2(C) an enlarged view of a finger grip or lug attached to the sack in accordance with the other embodiment of the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 3(A) is a plan view of a shut-off valve in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3(B) a cross sectional view of the shut-off valve in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, taken along a line A—A of FIG. 3(A).

[0019]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the shut-off valve in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, taken along A—A of FIG. 3(A), in which the air passage rests in a position where air can move into or out of the air passage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] A compression sack with a shut-off valve built in will be described as one embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the direction of contents' access port 2 side of a compression sack 1 is referred to as upper section, while the counter direction to the contents' access port 2 is referred to as lower section.

[0021]FIG. 1 is a plan view of the compression sack 1 in accordance with the one embodiment of the present invention. Said compression sack 1 is constituted by a bag having the form of a rectangle when viewed from above, and consisting of at least two non-breathable sheets 11, 12 as made from resin. An upper side 13 of short length is provided with contents' access port 2. A bottom side 14 and a lateral side 15 remain closed.

[0022] The sheet 11 at the surface side of the sack is equipped with a shut-off valve 4 for removing air from the compression sack.

[0023] The surfaces of sheets 11, 12 may show in print letters indicating trade names of or instructions about how to use the article, or some patterns. Alternatively, the sheets 11, 12 may be subjected to antibacterial or deodorant process. Furthermore, the compression sack 1 may be sized to contents being contained such as clothing, blankets, or bedding. The shut-off valve 4 may be placed in any position on the compression sack 1.

[0024] The use of the compression sack will be described. First, a zipper 3 of the contents' access port 2 is done up. Then, contents such as clothing are put into the compression sack 1 through the access port 2 as zipped open, and the zipper 3 is undone. Then, the compression sack 1 is deaerated by pressing it in a manner that it is rolled up, or by using a vacuum cleaner with its nozzle fitted into an opening 43 g of shut-off valve 4, so that air inside of the compression sack 1 may be discharged from the shut-off valve 4 outward, until the deaeration is completed.

[0025] In accordance with embodiment of the present invention, the zipper 3 as provided as closing means for the contents' access port 2 is of a meshing type such that two parts thereof may engage with or disengage from each other. As shown in FIG. 2(A), a raised linear portion 31 is formed at one side in the sheet, while a depressed linear portion 32 at the other side.

[0026] Both raised and depressed linear portions 31 and 32 are formed with engaging elements 33, 34 respectively. The depressed linear portion 32 includes a raised portion 36 for hermetic sealing, and the raised linear portion 31 includes a depressed portion 37 for hermetic sealing. The raised linear portion 31 has two raised pieces 31 a, 31 a formed in opposition to each other with the depressed portion 37 for hermetic sealing interposed between both raised pieces 31 a, 31 a, whereas the depressed linear portion 32 is formed with depressed ridges 32 a, 32 a, between which is positioned the raised portion 36 for hermetic sealing.

[0027] The width t35 of a passage 35 in the depressed ridge 32 a is made smaller than the width t33 of the engaging element 33. With the zipper 3 kept undone, if the raised linear portion 31 and depressed linear portion 32 are pressed, the engaging element 33 may pass through the passage 35 as if the former forces the latter into the opened position, so as to mesh with the engaging portion 34 of the depressed linear portion 32. Such a meshing position is illustrated in FIG. 2(B), in which there is barely a gap formed at the area 38 between both the linear portions 31 and 32, and besides, a maze of zone is formed, whereby air from outside is not allowed to enter, and the compression sack 1 may be kept closed while maintaining the airtightness therewithin.

[0028] The zipper 3 is not limited to the shape as shown by FIG. 2. Separate shapes may be employed.

[0029] For easy fastening of the zipper 3, a slider piece as made of resin may be mounted on the outside of the sack to which the zipper 3 is attached. As shown in FIG. 2(C), at least one of the front and back sheets 11, 12 is extended in part, or a small-sized piece of sheet is adhered to the sheet so as to form a finger grip 10 for easier opening of the contents' access port 2.

[0030] The shut-off valve 4 is composed of an air passage 41 of a flat and substantially cylindrical form in cross section, and a valve body sheet 42 positioned in the air passage.

[0031] The outside portion of the shut-off valve in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention is composed of two opposed rectangular cladding sheets 43 a, 43 b. There is provided an internal opening 43 c formed by opening the respective ends of said cladding sheets at one side, and three remaining enclosure pieces 43 d, 43 e, and 43 f are joined together as by hot-pressing. There are provided near a closed portion 43 d of the cladding sheet 43 a an external opening 43 g, which is formed integral with the interior of the front sheet 11 of the sack where an opening 11 a which is as big as the closed portion 43 d is formed. Such a structure constitutes the air passage 41 of a flat and substantially cylindrical form in cross section, which extends from the opening 11 a provided in the interior of the face sheet 11 of the sack to the internal opening 43 c of the shut-off valve 4.

[0032] The air passage may be formed by the cladding sheet 43 b which has been attached immediately to the front sheet 11, except that said cladding sheet 43 a may not be adhered to the interior of the front sheet 11.

[0033] The valve body sheet 42 in the form of a rectangle is mounted on the surface 43 h of the cladding sheet 43 b at the air passage side, extending along the cladding sheet 43 b from one closed portion 43 e to the other closed portion 43 f.

[0034] The valve body sheet 42 is a single sheet comprising a fixed part 42 a glued as by hot-pressing to the cladding sheet 43 b at the central part of a short segment thereof and flap portions 42 b, 42 c formed at both sides of fixed part 42 a so as to move up and down. The air passage 41 may be blocked by pressing with the aid of an air stream passing through the air passage 41 said flap potions 42 b, 42 c down to the surface 43 i of the cladding sheet 43 a at the air passage side, which cladding sheet 43 a is free from the valve body sheet 42.

[0035] The flap portion 42 b, one of the flap portions 42 b, 42 c, may serve to prevent air from flowing from the outside of the sack to the inside, while the other flap portion 42 c may act to cut off the flow of air from the inside of the sack to the outside. Both flap portions 42 b, 42 c may act in combination on either direction of the air passage. This may maintain the internal aerial condition of the sack after deaeration, and on the contrary, hold air within the sack after filling it up.

[0036] In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, the valve body sheets 42 are arranged in two rows in a manner that they meet the axis of the air passage 41 at right angles.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present invention, cladding sheets 43 a, 43 b, and valve body sheets 42 are made of flexible synthetic resin films, so that the flap portions 42 b, 42 c of the valve body sheet 42 can flexibly stick to the surface 43 i of the cladding sheet 43 a at the air passage side. Therefore, there is no risk of a gap being formed between the valve body sheet and the cladding sheet 43 a to ensure that the sack will be kept airtight.

[0038] The valve body sheet 42 is not limited to the configuration as explained so far. It may be made in separate forms. For example, a pair of valve body sheets each having flap portions formed on a single side of the fixed part 42 a may be arranged opposed or opposite to each other, and in series or parallel with each other.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3(B), generally, the air passage 41 is being intercepted in both directions thereof because the flap potions 42 b, 42 c are mounted at both sides with the fixed part 42 a placed in the central position therebetween. In order to allow air to pass through the air passage 41, therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, an arrangement is made such that a rod-like member 5 runs through the space between the internal opening 43 c and the external opening 43 g in the air passage so as to connect both openings so that the close contact between a part of each of the flap portions 42 b, 42 c and the surface 43 i of the cladding sheet at the air passage side will be released. This may render the air passage 41 open to air. And, the air passage may return to the blocked position by pulling out the rod-like member 5.

[0040] Said rod-like member may be of either a solid or hollow type.

[0041] A first invention of the present application provides a shut-off valve in which flap portions are so arranged as to act on both directions of the air passage, thereby making it possible not only to remove air from the sack but also to fill the sack with air.

[0042] A second invention of the present application provides a shut-off valve formed integral with the sack, which may avoid the redundancy of materials and cut production costs as well.

[0043] A third invention of the present application provides a shut-off valve through which air may be removed from the sack, and the sack may be filled with air, and operation modes can be simply and easily shifted as from one mode where air is allowed to enter to the other mode where air is kept from entering. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A shut-off valve, in which an air passage (41) of a flat and substantially cylindrical shape in cross section is formed by closing both sides of opposed cladding sheets (43 a)(43 b) by means of closing members (43 e)(43 f), and the air passage (41) has openings (43 c)(43 g) at the both end side, and has a valve body sheet (42) inside thereof, characterized in that the valve body sheet (42) comprises a fixed member (42 a) secured to said cladding sheet (43 b), a first flap member (42 b), and a second flap member (42 c) with the fixed member (42 a) disposed in the central position therebetween, both the flap members are movable centering around the fixed member (42 a), said first flap member (42 b) may serve to prevent air from flowing from one end to the other end in said air passage (41) by the close contact between the first flap member (42 b) and the surface (43 i) of the other cladding sheet (43 a) at the air passage side, and the second flap member (42 c) may serve to prevent air from flowing from the other end to one end in the air passage (41) by the close contact with the second flap member (42 c) and the surface (43 i) of the other cladding sheet (43 a) at the air passage side.
 2. The shut-off valve as defined in claim 1, characterized in that of the opposed cladding sheets (43 a) (43 b), the cladding sheet (43 a) may also serve as a sheet (11) which constitutes a sealable sack (1).
 3. A shut-off valve characterized in that an air passage (41) of a flat and substantially cylindrical shape in cross section is formed by openings (43 c) (43 g) disposed at both ends orienting in one axial direction and along at least one of the opposed cladding sheets (43 a) (43 b) and the closing members (43 e) (43 f) crossing at right angles to said one axial direction and disposed at both ends orienting in the other axial direction and along at least one of said cladding sheets, a valve body sheet (42) is secured to the surface (43 h) of one cladding sheet (43 b) at the air passage side, which surface being located midway in the air passage (41), to extend along the cladding sheet (43 b) from one closing member (43 e) to the other closing member (43 f), which is the origin of a first and second check valves, the first check valve serving to prevent air from flowing from one end to the other end in the air passage (41) by the close contact between a part of the valve body sheet (42) and the surface (43 i) of the cladding sheet (43 a) at the air passage side, and the second check valve serving to prevent air from flowing from the other end to one end by said similar process, and a rod-like member (5) is inserted into the air passage (41) in a manner that openings (43 c) (43 g) at either end of the air passage (41) may associate with each other by the presence of said rod-like member (5), whereby the close contact between a part of the valve body sheet (42) and the surface (43 i) of the cladding sheet (43 a) at the air passage side will be so severed as to allow air to run through the air passage (41), and the air passage (41) will be intercepted again by pulling out the rod-like member (5). 